Takeshi Kitano

Resulta hermoso explorar en los recuerdos de la infancia. Aquellos momentos donde los juegos, la amistad, el amor, la curiosidad y los sueños, se presentan como brillantes episodios de las vidas que se van formando. Una taza de té, un abrazo, una carrera escolar, el primer beso, un telescopio o la compañía de hermano mayor, son elementos que en la niñez pueden parecer simples, pero se quedan eternamente en la memoria del adulto. El cineasta japonés Takeshi Kitano lo sabe y lo presume a través de los 3 relatos cortos que conforman su libro Niño (1992), la tierna mirada a la etapa más bella que experimenta la naturaleza humana, donde el miedo y la incertidumbre se ven superados por la alegría y las sorpresas que aguardan en el entorno. Con el peculiar estilo estático explotado en su filmografía, aquel que mezcla toques de humor con reflexión profunda, Kitano describe relaciones padres e hijos, días escolares y amores fugaces desde la pureza que solo la infancia otorga, sorteando la gloriosa cultura japonesa, en constante disputa entre la tradición y la modernidad. Takeshi Kitano es célebre actor y director, pero su obra literaria se extiende a más de 50 libros entre ficción, crítica y poesía; invariablemente, se aplaude la traducción al español e inglés de parte de su obra. El campeón del quimono enguantado, Nido de estrellas y Okamesan, son los tres capítulos que componen Niño, pequeñas crónicas que diseccionan la rivalidad entre hermanos y el bullying, la pérdida paterna y la vastedad del universo, la superación del miedo para descubrir el mundo y la inquietante presencia del amor. Referente cultural japonés, Kitano tiene una filmografía de más de 20 películas y constante presencia en festivales internacionales; acostumbrados a lidiar con yakuzas y mafiosos en el universo del director, en Niño sorprende la ternura con la que se abordan los personajes, una suavidad que Kitano exorciza y contrasta con la violencia extrema de Zatōichi (2003) o Brother (2000). En el epílogo del volumen, Takeshi Kitano apunta furioso: “No existe el cielo. Es una idea que creamos cuando nos dimos cuenta de que tan sólo existe el infierno después de la muerte.” Más adelante, confiesa que quizá había bebido demasiado al decir tal cosa, pero hay algo de cierto: decir adiós a la infancia siempre será arduo. En algún momento, el peso irremediable de la realidad adulta golpeará y el único consuelo, será recordar las esponjosas tardes infantiles.… (meer)

Durante a travessia de uma montanha, Zatoichi encontra uma pequena cidade subjugada pelo gang de Ginzo, que recentemente recrutara Hattori, um jovem e exímio samurai. Numa casa de jogo, Zatoichi e um amigo cruzam-se com duas geishas que vêm à cidade para vingar a morte dos pais. Quando Zatoichi encontra os homens de Ginzo o confronto é inevitável.

Japão, século XIX. Zatoichi é um viajante cego que ganha a vida a fazer massagens e a jogar, mas por detrás da sua humilde aparência, Zatoichi revela-se um mestre nas artes do sabre.

Compositor
KEIICHI SUZUKI
Intérprete
Tadanobu Asano
Takeshi Kitano
Realizador(es)
Takeshi Kitano
Editor
Atalanta
Extras
Takeshi Kitano: Uma retrospectiva . Trailers (O Verão de Kikujiro, Brother - Irmão, Dolls e Zatoichi) . Filmografia Takeshi Kitano . Fotos . DVD-ROM (artigos e dossier de imprensa, fotos, filmografia)
Formato Vídeo
Widescreen 1.85:1 anamórfico
Legendas
Português
Número de Discos
1
Género 1
Ação
Género 2
Comédia
Género 3
Policial
EAN
5606699502716… (meer)

I got this book as an ARC a couple of years ago at BookExpo. In the ordinary way, even though it says in big letters on the front of ARCs that they're not to be regarded as final versions, the assumption is that this is as near as dammit the identical text to the one that'll be published. Not so in this instance: the version of the text I was reading is a sort of rough first draft of the translation, complete with obvious errors and clearly sans even the most basic copyediting. Presumably everyone was in a rush to get the ARC out in time for BookExpo.

It all sounds like a recipe for a grim read, and if I'd been told in advance the text was in this state I probably wouldn't have begun this collection of three novelettes about youth -- even though I'm a great admirer of its author, the movie director and writer often referred to as "Beat" Takeshi. Surprisingly, though, the stories survive pretty well; I suspect the polished version of the translation is pretty fine.

For my money, easily the best of the stories is "The Nest of Stars", which focuses on the relationship between the narrator and his elder brother, both of whom are having difficulty adapting to the family's move from Tokyo to Osaka after Dad's death. The boys are bonded by their love of amateur astronomy, inherited from their father; but will that be enough to pull them through? What's poignant about the story is the younger boy's slow, then sudden, realization that his big brother's claim to have settled in just fine is just a facade, assumed out of duty.

(The story is slightly marred by the fact that Takeshi knows less about Sirius than his narrator would. Even though there's an old Arab nickname for the star to the effect that it has a thousand colours, this is a misnomer; quite likely, later interpreters applied the nickname to the wrong star, because Sirius doesn't look like that at all . . . yet our narrator describes it as doing so when seen through his small telescope.)

"The Champion in a Padded Kimono" is again about brotherhood. Now adult, the narrator reminisces about a school sports day, and about his elder brother who, by contrast with himself, was lousy at sports. The story's a great read that leaves one frustrated because two of its plot strands (the school athlete of the title, the supposedly magic chocolate the kids get hold of) peter out into nothing, as if the author forgot them. "Okame-san" is about a much older boy who goes from Tokyo to spend a couple of nights in Kyoto doing historical research, about how he gets ripped off by bikers, and about the gal who makes it all worthwhile. It's a nice coming-of-age story.

All in all, I'm very glad I picked up the ARC. I must keep an eye out for a copy of the final version for my shelves.… (meer)